St. Augustine was one of the founding fathers of the church who lived from 354-430 AD. In his autobiography entitled Confessions, he wrote:

“There was a pear tree near our vineyard, laden with fruit. One stormy night we rascally youths set out to rob it…We took off a huge load of pears – not to feast upon ourselves, but to throw them to the pigs, though we ate just enough to have the pleasure of the forbidden fruit. They were nice pears, but it was not the pears that my wretched soul coveted, for I had plenty better at home. I picked them simply to become a thief…The desire to steal was awakened simply by the prohibition of stealing.”

Romans 7:7-13 explains Augustine’s experience by saying that human nature is inherently rebellious. Give us a law and we will see it as a challenge to break it. Tell a child, “Don’t touch that”, and we know what they’ll do. When God places His Spirit inside of a believer, He imparts a new desire and ability so that our greatest pleasure becomes bringing pleasure to God.

You will be tempted to cheat today. What does God’s Spirit say?